Chapter 461 Fangtou

Chapter 461 Fangtou

Chapter 461 Fangtou
After pretending to discuss where to build the city, Shao Xun arranged a place for Wang Huifeng to live and assigned a maid, telling her that she could stay there for a long time so that they could discuss the matter from time to time.

Wang Huifeng didn't say anything. He just quietly returned to his residence and read by lamplight.

Shao Xun knew very well that he couldn't offend the beauty now.

Wang Huifeng is a strong woman. Whether she is willing to remarry is entirely up to her and cannot be forced by others. She does have a little affection for me now, but the cause of this affection is very complicated and fragile, and it will disappear if you are not careful.

There is a long way to go and there are many opportunities.

That night, Shao Xun took his personal soldiers and rushed to Heyang overnight.

The Silver Spear Left Camp has been resting in Xiangcheng for just over a month, so it is not advisable to move rashly for the time being.

The Silver Spear Right Camp is about to set out from Jingu Garden and head to Heyang. This is the main field force for this city-building operation.

On July 20th, at the same time when Liu Cong ordered Shi Le to mobilize troops, the north gate of Heyang City was opened, and more than 9,000 combat soldiers from the Silver Spear Right Camp and the Yicong Army, 1,000 light cavalry and 400 armored cavalry from the borrowed Cavalry Army, plus 5,000 hereditary soldiers from Xuchang, 7,000 young men from Sizhou and hundreds of craftsmen, totaling more than 22,000 people, marched eastward along the north bank of the Yellow River.

The one who stayed behind to guard the three cities of Heyang was the shogunate's left Sima Chen Yougen.

The army, composed of 3,000 government soldiers and their followers, was the main defensive force of the northern city of Heyang.

More than 10,000 men from the Heilongjiang Army, Runan Mounted Mule Infantry, Tuntian Army, and Heyang Dingzhuang assisted in defending the city, taking turns to feel the atmosphere of the battlefield and accumulate combat experience.

In recent years, as the war intensified, even the combat effectiveness of the peasant soldiers was increasing rapidly.

They are indeed not as good as professional soldiers like the Silver Spear Army, but the gap is not as big as before. After all, it is easy to improve from 30 points to 60 points, but it is much more difficult to improve from 80 points to 90 points.

In order to advance deeper into Hebei, we will need a large number of soldiers with certain combat capabilities to fill in the gaps. Otherwise, even if we occupy it temporarily, we will have to give it up sooner or later.

The army had a smooth journey since leaving the northern city of Heyang.

The Xiongnu were surprisingly few in number, and seemed to have lost the ability to stay near the city of Heyang for a long time. It was not until several days after traveling east that a group of two or three hundred Xiongnu cavalry appeared, but they did not dare to approach and only watched from afar.

On the night of the 24th, the army camped in Huai County, and the Huns launched their first night attack, which ended in failure.

Shao Xun sat in a damaged carriage, quietly watching the retreating Huns, and felt a little relieved.

Only two soldiers from the Silver Spear Right Camp had experience marching under the watchful eyes of cavalry day and night. That time, they followed the veterans from the Left Camp to escort grain to Luoyang.

Before setting out on this expedition, Shao Xun was somewhat worried that the psychological quality of the soldiers in the right camp was not good enough, and that they would not be able to withstand the tremendous pressure and collapse halfway. Therefore, he personally led the troops to boost morale, give timely commands, check for omissions and make sure that no problems occurred.

He knew that the soldiers in the right camp were trained very hard and scientifically, had all kinds of equipment, and were not all new recruits. As long as they could get over the hurdle in their hearts and get rid of their fear of cavalry, they would be able to handle it calmly even if he did not lead the troops personally in the future.

The first time is the hardest.

Starting from the 25th, the number of Huns increased day by day, and the expressions on the soldiers' faces became increasingly solemn.

"The bandits don't dare to attack the city and want to try their luck here. So let's beat them back and let them see the bravery of the men of the Jin Dynasty." Shao Xun rode a war horse out of the protective circle of the chariot formation, holding a whip in his hand, and walked slowly while speaking loudly.

The Silver Spear Army soldiers stood on the side carriages and baggage carts, holding their bows and operating their crossbows, all the worry on their faces gone.

Seeing Master Shao wearing golden armor, the student officers became full of confidence.

Seeing the mighty and majestic Lord Chen, the ordinary soldiers became more courageous.

As a warrior, he naturally likes a commander who is skilled in archery and horse riding and has a heroic character.

If you can't draw a strong bow, kill a stubborn enemy, and remain calm when Mount Tai collapses in front of you, how can you make people truly convinced?
You can rely on the system to force them to obey orders, but this kind of restraint is not reliable. Why do so many regimes perish in the second generation during troubled times? Of course, it is because of their own actions, but lack of prestige is also an important factor.

"Man Yu!" Shao Xun suddenly pointed with the whip.

"I'm here!" Man Yu rode up on his horse.

Shao Xun pointed at a group of Xiongnu cavalry wandering in the distance and said, "One man has three horses. Capture them, no matter what the cost."

"Yes." Man Yu did not hesitate. He selected five hundred cavalrymen on the spot, led one thousand five hundred horses, and rushed out of the formation with a roar.

The traffic did not stop and continued to move forward.

It stretches for several miles from west to east.

That evening, Man Yu rushed back with seven or eight arrows sticking out of his body.

A lot of people and horses were lost, but there was more than one human head hanging under each person's saddle.

"Each person will be given two pieces of silk, which will be distributed after the army returns." Shao Xun announced loudly.

Everyone cheered, and the morale of the entire convoy was boosted significantly.

Shao Xun laughed out loud.

In some battles, we must continue to fight, even if the risk of suffering greater casualties than the enemy.

The wilderness was extremely empty just now, without even rivers or trees. It was actually not very suitable for charging cavalry, because if you were not careful, you would be led around in circles and flying kites.

But so what?
Just like when you are surrounded by people, no matter how many people are attacking you, just focus on one person and beat him to death or cripple him.

The Huns are divided into tribes and clans. If you focus on one tribe and beat them until their strong men are beaten to pieces, the people of other tribes will be frightened. Next time they come to harass you, they will be suspicious and hesitant.

This is the effect you want!

Shao Xun didn't believe that Liu Ya's prestige was so high that he could force the tribes to die regardless of casualties.

If the original capital is discounted, will you compensate me? Is the compensation enough?

This is a political problem, and also an institutional problem. If you can solve this problem, you can establish a grassland empire.

******
On the night of the 27th, the army camped in the southwest of Ji County.

Starting from the 28th, the Huns seemed to have given up harassment. Except for leaving a few people to monitor, the main force disappeared without a trace.

At this time, Shi Le's envoy was still on the way to Xihe, carrying his memorial, urging the emperor not to attack the three cities of Heyang by force.

In short, Shi Le was unwilling to go and was still bargaining.

Of course, perhaps he will change his attitude soon because the situation has changed again.

On the first day of August, the army arrived near Yanjin and set up camp.

On the second day, the entire army crossed the Qi River. In the evening of the same day, a part of the vanguard crossed the Qingshui River to the north and arrived outside Fangtou City.

On the third day of August, the army continued to cross the river.

There seemed to be a small number of defenders in Fangtou City, who went out of the city to intercept and defeat the Yicong army. At this time, the number of Xiongnu cavalry gradually increased. But most of them were not from Henei, but Xiongnu, Jie, and Wuhuan cavalry under Shi Le's rule.

Shao Xun did the math for him and started mobilizing after getting the news, and then collected food and supplies to move south. This was not a slow pace. Shi Le was indeed capable, and his separatist regime was also quite efficient.

On the fourth day of August, the infantry that crossed the river easily captured Fangtou, beheaded 200 people, captured 200, and took down this dilapidated earthen city.

At this point, more than 20,000 troops were stationed inside and outside Fangtou, digging deep trenches and building high fortifications, and setting up camps.

On the fifth day of August, he climbed up the almost collapsed Fangtou city wall and looked into the distance.

The Yellow River was crowded with ships coming from Xingyang and Puyang counties, fully loaded with food and military supplies. After docking, they unloaded the cargo on the mudflats near Laoqikou and then transported it to the camp.

Qikou is the place where the Qi River flows into the Yellow River.

In the ninth year of Jian'an in the Han Dynasty (204), Cao Cao "built a dam with large wooden beams at the mouth of the Qi River to block the Qi River from flowing into the Baigou Canal to facilitate water transport."

The Qi River originates from Taihang Mountain, and many streams flow into it along the way. The water is fast and the flow is large. When mountain torrents break out, it rushes into the Yellow River.

In order to launch a northern expedition, Cao Cao ordered the construction of an artificial dam at the mouth of the Qi River using large beams to change the river's course and flow to the northeast.

To put it simply, the water volume of the Baigou River, which flows to the northeast, is scarce, which is not conducive to water transportation, while the water volume of the Qi River is abundant, so they tried to find a way to inject the Qi River into the Baigou River to facilitate water transportation and provide food and fodder for the Northern Expedition.

In other words, the Fangtou water conservancy project was mainly for military purposes. More precisely, it was mainly used to transport military supplies and food to reduce the logistical pressure deep into the hinterland of Hebei. Land transportation was not impossible, but the cost of water transportation was much lower.

At all times, logistics has always been one of the most important factors in war, and even the primary consideration for most generals when fighting.

Historically, logistics was the decisive factor in Huan Wen's withdrawal from Fangtou - there was less rain, the river was shallow, and some sections of the river were not accessible to grain transport ships, which directly led to less and less food on the front line.

Now Shao Xun arrived at Fangtou several decades earlier than Huan Wen, and was preparing to transform this earthen city, which was not much stronger than a fortress, into a large military city, backed by a large river, stationed with strong troops, and serving as a strategic fulcrum for the northward advance.

If there are still Xiongnu cavalry causing sabotage in Puyang this year, resulting in poor harvests for the local people, once Fangtou City is successfully stationed, it will at least be able to protect a 200-li river section from east to west, allowing the people on the south bank to produce with peace of mind and no longer be harmed by the Xiongnu cavalry.

"Is that the ancient Qingshuikou?" Shao Xun asked, pointing to a half-silted river in the southwest direction.

He Lun, who had crossed the river north from Wenshijin, looked up and said immediately, "Yes, that is Qingshuikou. Wang Zhongxuan's "Heroes' Records" once recorded that '(Yuan) Shao was at Qingshuikou in Chaoge, and (Zhao) Fu and others followed him, with hundreds of ships and more than 10,000 people, marching past Shao's camp with drums beating.'"

Shao Xun looked at He Lun approvingly.

Lao He was indeed a military man, but he was also from an aristocratic family. He was born into the Donghai He family. This family prospered along with Liu Yu during the Southern Song Dynasty and became extremely powerful.

So, although He Lun looked rude, he was actually well-educated and had read many books. However, after he became a warrior, he was influenced by the environment and actually started touching the princess.

Damn, I haven’t even played Princess Lingshou yet, and you’ve already done it.

"After Fangtou was built, Cao Cao diverted the Qingshui River to join the Qishui River at Fangtou and then flow into Baigou together." He Lun continued, "Fangtou is actually a good place. There are rivers to the west and south, which is conducive to shipping. If the Qingshuikou is reused and connected to the river, grain ships can sail directly to the foot of Fangtou City, and the military city will be indestructible."

The Qingshui River originates from Ji County and flows into Ji County and Chaoge area in a generally east-west direction. The amount of water is not large and it originally flows into the Yellow River at Qingshuikou.

The Qi River originates from Taihang Mountain, flows south from Chaoge, and flows into the Yellow River at Qikou.

Qingshuikou and Qikou are very close to each other.

After Fangtou was built, the clear water was diverted and no longer flowed into the Yellow River, but merged into the Qi River at Fangtou.

The Qishui River also changed its course and no longer flowed into the Yellow River. Instead, it carried water from the two rivers into the Baigou River and flowed northeast.

"No, Qingshuikou is a little far away and not very suitable. Qikou is more suitable." Shao Xun said: "After the construction of Fangtou City is completed, I intend to build another city in the south, dredge the Qikou River, and connect the water of the Yellow River to facilitate shipping. In this way, there will be Fangtou South City and North City, standing on both sides of the river, supporting each other."

The terrain on the north bank is high. If we want to connect the Yellow River to build a wharf, the current Fangtou cannot reach it, and we have to build another city to the south. Fortunately, the two cities are not far apart, only a few miles, and can even be connected as one, across the Qi River - no, Fangtou to the east should be called Baigou - connecting the north and the south, and set up a water gate on the river in the middle to allow ships to pass.

Many cities in ancient times were like this.

For example, the Jinyang City destroyed by Zhao Er was built along the river, with the Fen River running through it, connecting the inside and the outside through water gates.

But in this way, the scale of Fangtou City has expanded. It is no longer the size of a county town, but a county town like Heyang North City.

There are pros and cons to this.

The disadvantage is that it costs a lot and takes a long time to build, but the advantage is that it can station more troops and supplies, which will be more conducive to the future Northern Expedition.

Shao Xun looked at He Lun.

"My lord..." He Lun was a little puzzled.

"After the construction of the two cities of Fangtou, north and south, is completed, you will lead your troops north and station here, how about that?" Shao Xun asked.

He Lun felt a little bitter.

Indeed, after the construction of Fangtou was completed, Wenshijin on the south bank would no longer need to be defended, and his 5,000 soldiers could be moved north to Fangtou as a whole. But in this way, they would face Shi Le directly...

Both the south and north banks of the Yellow River are defending the city, but the pressures they face are fundamentally different.

He Lun was not stupid. He knew very well that once he crossed the river, he would face sieges every few days. How could there be few casualties?

But he didn't dare to resist, so he could only say unhappily, "As you command."

"Why are you so dejected?" Shao Xun said with a smile, "In the future, I will definitely march north to attack Yecheng. Fangtou will never give up. If Shi Le leads his army, I will also send troops north to reinforce him. With your back to the strong city, can't you hold on?"

"Yes." He Lun was still a little worried.

Shao Xun was a little unhappy when he saw this, and said, "How can you be rich and noble just sitting at home?"

He Lun was startled and gritted his teeth and said, "I will obey your orders."

Shao Xun turned his anger into joy, put his arm around He Lun's shoulders, and said, "You and I are both from Donghai, so we have a special bond. You just need to guard the city carefully and not let Shi Le take it away, and you will be rich and powerful in the future. I keep my promise and I will never break it."

When He Lun heard this, a warm feeling surged in his heart.

Yes, we are all from the same hometown. In this day and age, who else can you help if not your fellow villagers? Do others trust you?
As long as you make certain contributions, you will definitely be richer than others in the future.

Thinking of this, He Lun immediately said, "Don't worry, my lord. After the beams are built, I will nail them here. Even if I die, I will die on the beams."

"Don't worry, Shi Le is not that capable yet." Shao Xun said with a smile, "He is strong in cavalry. Although his infantry is not bad, it is not that strong. For him, Fangtou City is impossible to take down no matter how many lives he sacrifices."

As long as the supply is not cut off, food, equipment, soldiers and materials for repairing the city walls can be continuously transported into the city. Fangtou, like the northern city of Heyang, will be difficult to break through.

For Shi Le, this was a losing business and a long-term bleeding hole. It was not right to fight or not to fight, which was extremely painful.

(End of this chapter)